Team Spacefish teed off at Mathers Bridge in Indian Harbour Beach on Saturday. For those who aren’t familiar with this location, it’s a sweet fishing spot just north of where Dragon Point (Merritt Island) splits the Indian River and Banana River Lagoons.

Our expectations for this outing were pretty low. We stopped by Man Overboard Bait & Tackle to load up on live shrimp, and the good folks there didn’t have great news for us. The water in the lagoons was reportedly dirty, and we were told that the fish weren’t biting. Bummer. But boy were we in for a surprise…

As soon as we dropped our first lines in the water, the trout came out to play. They were hitting our lines immediately and the action continued all day. The bite was RED HOT and we were catching pretty much every species under the sun, including trout, sheepshead, and whiting, among others. Redfish were among the few species of lagoon regulars that didn’t turn up.

Location Matters at Mathers

Mathers Bridge is not a very large structure. It’s only 700 feet across, connecting the beachside to Merritt Island’s Tropical Trail. Nonetheless, where you’re fishing on the bridge is going to effect what — and if — you’re catching. We stuck only to the west end of the bridge and, as mentioned, had a great day. On the west end, people were catching sheepshead, but only on the farthest side up close on the mangroves. Meanwhile, we talked to a few different groups of anglers fishing the east end of the bridge that weren’t getting even a bite.

Good times!

The Salty Sarge brought out his handlining rig and we got the opportunity to play around with that. We ended up having a heck of a good time and made a number of new friends along the way. Remember, if you’re going fishing, it’s all about the fun. Just try and enjoy yourself and the fish will follow, eventually!